Hero-to-zero, unwanted, ignored – Elneny can’t get a game for Arsenal this season

Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny has struggled for playing time under new manager Unai Emery this season, with the likes of Mattéo Guendouzi, Lucas Torreira, Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey ahead of Egyptian international in the pecking order. It comes as a surprise, as Elneny was the Gunners’ most improved player last season, but he appears to have gone from hero to zero and could have left for Marseille last month.

Since joining Arsenal from FC Basel in January 2016, the 26-year-old has gone on to make 72 appearances in all competitions, winning the FA Cup and Community Shield. He’d won four Swiss titles with his former club prior to the switch to the Emirates, but still hasn’t managed to nail down a starting place in his two years in England.

Elneny made 11 Premier League appearances in his debut season (2015/16), 14 the following year (2016/17) and 13 last campaign (2017/18). He’s been on the periphery and an afterthought for the majority of his time at Arsenal, and it appears 2018/19 will go in a similar vein due to the new signings Arsenal made this season.

Guendouzi and Torreira have added substance to the midfield and have reduced Elneny to being an unused substitute in all four of the Gunners’ league outings this season. If his situation fails to improve in the coming months, he may consider his future in January, just nine months after signing a new deal.

About The Author

Crippy can be found on Twitter (@CrippyCooke)
He is a sports journalist who has written for the Independent, Bleacher Report, Huffington Post, Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph among others.
Crippy treats football gossip with a dash of cynicism and loves tearing apart outlandish rumours.